Does the CIA covertly utilize ""mind control"" drugs and techniques? Are satanic messages subliminally hidden in popular music? Were Freemasons behind London's Jack the Ripper murders? Does your vote really count or is the U.S. president chosen by secretive societies such as the Bilderberg Group and the Illuminati? In an objective, fact-based manner, ""The Encyclopedia of Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories"" thoroughly documents and explores these and other provocative questions. This intriguing reference provides more than 500 detailed entries that define the major conspiracies, both proven and unproven, throughout history. From the ""inheritance powder"" of the Medicis to the U.N. oil-for-food scandal, this encyclopedia investigates the broad history of conspiracies and their impact on global affairs and everyday life. Entries include biographies, specific events, profiles of groups, and thumbnail histories of notorious nations.